What does it Mean to ‘Pass the Hat Around’?

And what is the origin of this idiom?

To pass the hat around means to ask for money from a group of people; to solicit and collect donations.

This expression alludes to the practice of passing the hat around to a gathering of people to collect money. You might have seen it — at the end of their performance, the street performers literally pass their hats around to collect money.

Let’s see an example —

“He was too shy to ask for donations, so I took the initiative and passed the hat around.”

It means I solicited and collected the donations on his behalf because he was too hesitant to do so.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.